Spool for narrow ware



April 29, 1941. 3, .w, STARK 2,240,197

SPOOL FOR NARROW WAR! Filed Jan. 24, 1939 I I Jnnantor JOSEPH W. 5TARK attorney Patented Apr. 29, 1941 I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,240,197 sPooL FOR NARROW WARE Joseph W. Stark, New York, N. Y.

Application January 24, 1939, Serial No. 252,585

4 Claims.

This invention relates to spools for ribbons, bindings, tapes or other narrow ware.

One object of the invention is the provision of a ribbon or other narrow fabric spool constructed and arranged to readily indicate the quantity of ribbon on the spool and more specifically to indicate the quantity remaining on the spool after removal of portions of the ribbon. This enables the retailers who dispense the ribbons from various spools from time to time usually in relatively small quantities in accordance with the requirements of the individual purchasers, to ascertain the quantities of the ribbons remaining on the various spools. In this manner the taking of inventory is greatly facilitated, as it is unnecessary to unwind the ribbons from the spools in order to ascertain the quantities of ribbons on hand on partially depleted spools.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of simple construction readily attachable to spools of standard construction for indicating the quantities of ribbons on the spools.

The above objects of the invention and other objects which might hereinafter appear will be fully understood from the following description considered with reference to the accompanying drawing which illustrates the preferred embodiments of the invention, it being understood that while said embodiments are the presently preferred forms of the invention, said embodiments are to be considered as illustrative of the invention and not in any manner in limitation thereof.

In the drawing:

Fig. l is a side view of a ribbon spool embodying the present invention, the winding of the ribbon on the spool being more or less diagrammatically illustrated;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, with the ribbon omitted;

Fig. 3 is a side view of a spool made in accordance with another form of the invention, the winding of the ribbon on the spool being more or less diagrammatically illustrated;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line 3-4 of Fig. 3, with the ribbon omitted;

Fig. 5 is a side view of a spool showing a further form of the invention.

Referring now to the drawing in detail and first to the form of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, the spool indicated generally by the reference numeral l0 comprises a barrel or hub !2 about which the ribbon or other narrow fabric 14 is wound. Spool barrel l2 may be of any well known or other construction and may be composed of cardboard, wood or any other suitable material. As here shown, said barrel is of the well known cardboard type being in the form of a hollow cylindrical body comprising a peripherally continuous cylinder wall I6 and opposed flat side walls l8 suitably joined with said cylinder wall in unitary relation.

In accordance with the present invention and pursuant to the primary objects thereof the spool is provided with means for indicating the quantities of the ribbon or other narrow fabric wound thereon. For this purpose, in this form of the invention, members 20 are attached to the side walls l8, respectively, of the spool barrel I2. Members 20 may be composed of any suitable sheet material, such for example, as relatively stiff paper or cardboard. Each of said members 20 comprises, as shown, an imperforate body portion 22 which is preferably of the same size and shape as the side wall IE to which said member is attached and a tab 24 provided with a scale or yardage indicator 26. Body portion 22 of each member 20 may be secured to its companion side wall IS in any suitable Way, preferably adhesively, and is positioned on said side wall concentrically therewith. Tabs 2 1 which project radially from the body portions 22 of said members each have a radial extent approximately equal to the radial extent of the ribbon winding, although it will be understood that said tabs may extend radially beyond the outermost convolution of the full ribbon winding and it will be understood also that body portions 22 may extend radially beyond the peripheral wall It of the spool barrel instead of terminating at said wall as illustrated herein. Each member 22 may constitute also a label for the spool and in that case may have printed thereon in the body portion 22 thereof any suitable legends or descriptive matter such as, for example, the name of the manufacturer or dealer, thetype of ribbon, etc.

I In the form of the invention illustrated in Fig. 3, the ribbon spool IDA comprises the same parts as the spool I0 illustrated in Fig. l. The parts of spool lflA may each be the same as the parts of spool I!) with such changes as will hereinafter be indicated. Thus, as here shown, spool IBA comprises a barrel [2A similar to barrel l2 and a ribbon or other narrow fabric winding [4A wound around the cylindrical wall ISA of said barrel. Said barrel includes the opposed side walls WA to which members 20A are adhesively or otherwise attached. In this form of the invention, however, instead of positioning body portion 22A of members 20A concentrically with respect to side walls I8A of the spool barrel, said barrel is disposed eccentrically between opposed members ZilA. As clearly shown in Fig. 3, barrel HA is arranged symmetrically in relation to a line passing through the center of the body portion and midway of the width of the tabs 24A of members 20A and preferably so that the outer surface of peripheral Wall [6A is tangential to the prolongation of the circles which define the edges of members 26A at points midway between the side edges of tabs 24A. Each tab 2 1A may be provided with the scale or yardage indicator ZGA, but preferably, in addition the body portion 22A of member 20A is provided with a plurality of circumferentially spaced indicating marks, 1, 2, 3, etc. for indicating the quantity of ribbon on the spool. by virtue of the eccentric relation of the spool barrel and the side members 29A the quantity of ribbon on the spool can be readily ascertained by observing the point at the peripheral edge of either member 22A at which the outermost convolution of the ribbon Winding intersects the periphery of said member 25A. In the form of the invention illustrated in Fig. 5, the spool MB is the same in all respects as the spools lflA with the exception that the side members indicated by the numeral 23B are not provided with tabs as is the case in reference to the side members MA or spool ltA. It will be understood that the quantity of ribbon on the spool is readily indicated by observing the points at the peripheral edge of either member ZElB at which the outermost convolution of the ribbon winding intersects said edge.

While I have shown and described several forms for the invention it will be understood that the latter may be embodied otherwise than as here shown and it will be further understood that in the illustrated embodiments certain changes in the construction and arrangement of parts may be made. It will be further understood that the invention can be applied to various types of spools. Accordingly, nothing disclosed herein is to be considered as limiting the scope of the invention, and the invention is not to be limited to any of the embodiments shown or described herein except to the extent which may be required by the scope of the appended claims considered with reference to the prior art.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A spool for ribbon or other narrow Ware comprising a barrel having a peripheral wall around which the ribbon or other material is wound, said barrel having circular side walls at the opposite ends thereof, and members secured to and covering the opposite side Walls, respectively, of said barrel, each of said members having a substantially circular body portion and a part of less peripheral extent than said body portion projecting radially beyond the latter and outwardly of the periphery of the barrel and. terminating in a free peripheral edge, said radially projecting part of at least one of said members having means thereon for indicating the quantity of ribbon or other material which is wound 6 around said barrel on the spool.

It will be understood that Y 2. A spool for ribbon or other narrow ware comprising a barrel having a peripheral wall around which the ribbon or other material is wound, and flange members at the opposite sides, respectively, of said barrel in fixed relation thereto, each of said members having a substantially circular body portion, and a part of less peripheral extent than said body portion projecting radially beyond the latter and outwardly of the periphery of the barrel, said radially projecting part of at least one of said members having means thereon for indicating the quantity of ribbon or other material which is wound around said barrel on the spool, the peripheral wall of said barrel being disposed eccentrically of said members and parts of the body portions of said members disposed opposite said first mentioned radially projecting parts and extending radially beyond said peripheral wall outwardly thereof.

3. A spool for ribbon or other narrow Ware comprising a barrel around which the ribbon or other material is wound, and substantially circular flange members at the opposite sides, respectively, of said barrel in fixed relation thereto, the peripheral wall of said barrel being disposed eccentrically of said flange members and parts of said members extending radially beyond said peripheral wall outwardly thereof, and parts having their outer edges disposed adjacent said peripheral wall of the barrel whereby the ribbon wound on the spool extends beyond said outer edges and is visible at the opposite sides of the spool for substantially'the full radial extent of the windingsaid radially extending parts of said members providing means for holding the ribbon winding against displacement axially of said barrel.

4. A spool for ribbon or other narrow ware comprising a barrel around which the ribbon or other material is wound, and substantially circular flange members at the opposite sides, respectively, of said barrel in fixed relation thereto, the peripheral wall of said barrel being disposed eccentrically of said flange members and parts of said members extending radially beyond said peripheral wall outwardly thereof, and parts having their outer edges disposed adjacent said peripheral wall of the barrel whereby the ribbon wound on the spool extends beyond said outer edges for substantially the full radial extent of the Winding and is visible at the opposite sides of the spool for said radially extending parts of said members providing means for holding the ribbon winding against displacement axially of said barrel, said barrel having arcuate edge portions substantially tangent to said outer edges of said parts of adjacent flange members, respectively, and yardage indicator marks on one of said flange members adjacent a peripheral edge portion thereof and arranged in the direction of the peripheral edge of the flange whereby the quantity of ribbon on the spool is indicated by the indicator mark coincident with the outermost convolution of the ribbon Winding.

JOSEPH V7. STARK. 

